Life, Death, Love
by NotYetLostFaith
Summary: Tony and Ziva are trapped. When events happen that leave them not knowing if they will get out alive, the situation gets emotional. Established Tiva, I sobbed while writing this. You have been warned.


Author's Note-I was inspired by Inevitable by alexandraspecter. I recommend listening to .com/watch?v=s5ETlShWQ_g (life and death from lost and was composed by michael giacchino) It is not essential, but I think it enhances the experience. This IS an emotional piece.

* * *

Tony and Ziva huddled into the smallest corner of the room as their suspect walked out and locked it. He could feel her shake against his chest.

"Hey, Ninja? What's up?" She buried her face into the crook of his neck. "Zi?" The concern in his voice was clearly evident.

_Beep_

"What was that?" Ziva didn't answer as she jumped up and headed towards the noise. He was quickly on his feet as he followed her. "Zi?" She opened her knife with a flick of her wrist. "Talk to me!" She turned to face him, fear overtaking every other emotion in her eyes. "Zi?"

"He set a bomb, Tony. If I can disarm it then we only have to hope we are found before we run out of oxygen, if not…" She shook as much as her voice as she turned back to the task at hand.

_Beep_

She gently pried the lid off the device before placing them back down on the table and shaking the tremble out of her hands.

"Anyone else getting major déjà here?" Ziva chuckled tensely.

"You could see down my top back then." She picked up the box slowly, staring at the multitude of wires. Tony chuckled nervously.

"Zi, can you disarm it?" She looked up at him and the expected annoyance was no where to be seen.

_Beep_

"I…I do not know." She lowered her eyes. "I…I can try." With a feather light touch she followed one of the wires before cursing in Hebrew and starting the process again with another. "I am sorry, by the way." She murmured, tracing her third wire.

"What for?" He asked, equally distracted by her finger.

"For being so distant in the last week." She replied, her voice cracking with the pressure as she followed yet another wire.

"Hadn't noticed."

"Liar."

_Beep_

"Listen, in case I am not able to stop this in the next…whoa…three minutes, I want you to know that I was not being distant because of anything you have or have not done." Tony smiled despite the knowledge that she was now following her seventh wire. "I also want you to know that I love you."

"Hey, we'll make it out of here." She chuckled tensely and shook her head as she followed the next wire.

"That is getting to be less and less likely Tony." She shook her hands again before tracing the next.

"Why were you being distant? I need to settle my own curiosity, I am not admitting defeat."

"I…I found out something." Another wire turned out to be the wrong one and she started again.

"Oh?"

_Beep_

"About us…where we are going?" He looked at her even though he knew her attention was where it needed to be, not on him.

"Where we're going?" He repeated, following her hand once more.

"I…" She paused with a hollow laugh and a murmur of desperation. "I am expecting, Tony." He looked up with a start and saw tears in her eyes.

"You're…you're…" He stuttered before whispering. "Pregnant?" She nodded as tears tumbled down her cheeks. "We're…we're having a baby?"

"Yes." She whispered tearfully. "If we make it out of here, we are to be a family." Tony smiled in spite of himself.

_Beep_

"That's, amazing." She allowed her eyes to find his briefly.

"I was afraid you would not think so." He laughed a true and proper laugh in spite the situation.

"Baby, I love you so much. This couldn't make me happier." She smiled which quickly turned into a sob as yet another wire led to a dead end.

"I should have told you, before now. Before this situation, before…" Words failed her as she took a shaky breath.

"You can do this, I believe in you." He softly ran his hand up and down her upper arm, careful not to jog her.

_Beep_

"I really wanted to spend my life with you. The rest of my life with a man, who loves me more than life, who worships the ground I walk on, and our children playing happily, peacefully, sounded like paradise." She was openly sobbing by now, the gravity of the situation getting to her.

"Ziva?"He waited until her eyes flickered up to meet his, telling him that she was listening. "Marry me. _When _we get out of here, marry me. I'll do everything in my power to give you your paradise Ziva. I love you more than words can say. Please say you'll be my wife." She sobbed in desperation. Another wire, another dead end, another restart.

"Yes. I will marry you Tony."

_Beep_

The seconds sped past far too quickly.

"Tony?" Ziva finally looked up at him fully. He saw it in her eyes: she didn't need to say it. Fear, desperation, terror, grief, he knew there was no hope left. He carefully took her hands and sat against the wall, pulling her to sit on his lap. With one hand around her back and one resting on where their child, their hope for the future, was just starting to grow, he rocked them both back and forth, humming an old nursery rhyme that his mother had sung him. She sobbed into his shoulder. Apologise flowed from her lips as tears from her eyes.

"Shhh." He hushed. "It's okay baby. I've got you. You're safe. I've got you."

Five

Four

Three

Two

One

The End.


End file.
